Monthly Archives: February 2015

If you have an interest in line and negative space you will find the delicate paper cuts of Maude White fascinating. Her beautifully rendered paper cuts rely on negative space and line.

In an interview over on Art Voice, Maude White says

“I have great respect for paper. I trust it. There is something very comforting and safe about cutting into the paper, discovering some story hidden inside.”

I could not help but think that Maude White must also trust in a steady hand, as one slip of the blade and would destroy the piece!

I was once asked by a student why negative space is important. I wish I could have replied by pointing to Maude White’s exquisite paper cuts as her work demonstrates how negative spaces can be everything!

But design principals or technical concerns about paper cutting are not what drives Maude White, for in her artist statement she explains

“When I was a child I thought a great deal about hidden spaces. The intimacy, the hushed secrecy – I was always looking underneath objects, or through them. I have always believed that if you look hard enough, you will see something precious and new, or, perhaps, something incredibly ancient and sacred.

When I cut paper, I feel as if I am peeling back the outer, superficial layer of our vision to reveal the secret space beneath. With paper cutting there are so many opportunities to create negative space that tells its own story.”

The concept of revealing something, by what is not there rather rather than what is there made me savour the image and consider that moment of perception. Just wonderful!

I have been very remiss and not shared my drawings much lately. I am still drawing mundane everyday items as practice but not as often in January. Anyway here is everyday Matters drawing challenge 132 “draw a chain”. It sounds easy but is more of challenge than I thought it would be!

I used watercolours, watercolour pencils, and pitt pens in a Strathmore Mixed media sketchbook, which is nearly finished. There are a couple of pages left and it is full. It is the second I have filled this year. I have decided to bind my own sketchbook and mix the type of papers in it so I have a variety of drawing surfaces. I have also decided to make it larger, I am not sure if this will be successful but I will find out as I use it.

In an interview published on Jackson’s Art, Sarah Burgess explains that these installations composed of threads intertwined with branches explore life and loss.

Combining organic objects with man made items to create 3D drawings. Sarah Burgess explains “I tend to begin to develop an idea two dimensionally, sketching ideas and making notes, diagrams but then I need to come out of my sketchbook and work with wood, wire, thread, stitch – whatever seems appropriate – but I am still drawing really.”

I have got myself merrily side tracked creating this. I set about to do one of my everyday drawing challenges and then decided to scan and digitally manipulate it into repeat pattern. This is how fabric prints are designed.

Here is my original sketch for prompt #105 on the EDM challenge list As you can see they are scissors. If you click on the image you can see a larger version. The drawing was done in a Strathmore mixed media sketchbook using watercolours, and pitt pens. As I worked the scissors I decided that I did not want a shadow behind the objects because I wanted to turn it into a design. I knew I was going to take it into photoshop and set the objects on a transparent background and I did not want to have clean out the shadow.

Once I had scanned it I decided I liked the red handled pair and created 3 versions each with different coloured handles. I then arranged them and set them into a repeat pattern. Fabric designers do this so that the pattern repeats seamlessly across the fabric. This is what the pattern looks like in repeat. I have a larger version of this which people can see if they click on it.

Most people like a simple background of one colour. So at this stage you could make the background white layer a colour.

But I like to play with pattern on pattern. It makes it more complex but I like complexity. If you click on the image you will see in the larger version that there are wavy lines behind this.

I liked the effect and tried some chevron stripes. Once again if you click on the image you will see better what I am talking about.

Then I decided I wanted a lighter feel so experimented with laying another pattern behind the scissors.

I then tried a subtle second texture over the grid.

I am still experimenting and having fun with this. Of course I created and stored the scissors as a photoshop pattern preset too- so now I will be able to set it behind other pieces! I feel a sewing theme coming on.

Its interesting what can be done with simple sketch let me know if you want to see more because I think I started something… Off to go back to photoshop!